Green Beret with Minnesota roots killed in Afghanistan

MINNEAPOLIS – A 31-year-old soldier who was killed in Afghanistan this week grew up in southern Minnesota and was a decorated member of the special forces.

Army Staff Sgt. Adam Thomas, a Green Beret, attended elementary school in the St. Peter area, while his father, Will Thomas, taught at Gustavus Adolphus College, the Star Tribune reported (http://strib.mn/2dBO0m3 ). His father is now an accounting professor at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, while his mother, Candace Thomas, is executive director of the nonprofit Literacy Volunteers of Southwest Minnesota, which serves immigrants and refugees.

“This is an extraordinary family who dedicate countless hours to community service in our town,” said Richard Herder, chairman of the organization.

The Defense Department said Adam Thomas died Tuesday of injuries from a roadside bomb. He was on patrol with Afghan forces in Nangarhar Province when he was killed.

The military listed his home as Takoma Park, Maryland. His unit — Company B, 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) — was based at Fort Carson, Colorado. He joined the Amy in April 2008, according to Fort Carson, and had deployed to Iraq in 2008 and to Afghanistan twice, in 2011 and again in June.

Thomas was the recipient of a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, multiple Army Commendation medals and the National Defense Service Medal, among other accolades.

A Southwest State spokesman said Will Thomas, who declined to comment when reached by the newspaper, was traveling to Dover Air Force Base to retrieve his son’s remains.